Wild elephants trampled residents’ vegetables

Thursday, January 04, 2018 14:09

Head of local forest protection station in the southern province of Dong Nai said within ten days, a group of seven wild elephants has devastated crops, fruits, and trees in the village No.4 in Dinh Quan District while on the way to find out food ravaging crops.

The herd of wild elephants have destroyed crop and fruit farms of seven households causing loss of hundreds of millions of dong (VND100 million = US$4,403).

Local forest officers warned people not to stay in the forest or farm after 5PM to avoid being attacked by the animal. Forest rangers along with residents have been chasing the herd back to the forest.

Additionally, the forest protection bureau petitioned the provincial People’s Committee and the Forest Department to build more 20 kilometer electric fence in the area at the end of Thanh Son Commune to Dong Nai River to deter the elephants’ encroachment to human areas.

Before in October, 2017, local authority built 50 kilometer electric fence to drive away elephant which proved to be effective in frightening elephants.

However, a distance of 20 kilometer has not been fenced; therefore, the agency has asked the Dong Nai administration to lengthen the barrier by another 20 kilometers.